Never Comes the Dawn
by Moth Gypsy
Summary: He cries tears made of nothing and cannot remember his own face. Ongoing series of Sasuita and Itasasu poems. Implied yaoi.
1. dangerous

This was a bitch to write, but Im pleased with how it turned out x( sortof. Little Sasuke has a bad dream and wants to cuddle with Itachi. Thats about it. We're reading Hemmingway in English right now, so that kind of inspired this style, despite the fact that I _HATE_ Hemmingway. Ahem.

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The Most Dangerous Game

-

And Sasuke remembers dying. (embers)

-

He woke up screaming,

hungry lungs gasping for life,

filling with the breath of

dead air and dust.

Dark eyes flickering from side to side

like flame before sputtering and

He swallows the dead air and dust

-

Stands and leans against dark windowpane,

guts squishing and soft cloth pulling.

Dark skies, dark streets, dark eyes meet

no monsters like the one from his dream.

-

Leans back and feels

wood beneath his feet, reassuring

the world has not fallen away

-

Turns and flees

Padding down origami hallways

stops at the towering doorway,

trembles and is trembling.

Meekly, hopefully whispers "Aniki?"

-

Monstrous red eyes peer at him

through the gathering gloom

"Sasuke?"

-

Smiles fleetingly at the monster in the room.

-

"What is it Sasuke?" the voice is

Quiet and measured.

-

"I had a bad dream."

-

A lingering stillness at the door

and then "Can I sleep with you?"

-

Moonlight measures the floorboards

out in even rows,

reminding him of the tomato garden

behind their house

where his mother crouches in the dirt

and smiles when he watches.

-

"Go back to bed."

-

Shadows paw tentatively at his sides

And he bites his lip.

The dark is a solid wall behind him

And the tears blur the fine tomato rows

Mixing red with gray and then

-

"Go back to bed, Sasuke. Now."

-

"Please?"

-

Silence and the dreaded hand

pushing at his back,

slowly urging him forward.

And it does not matter

what the other has said.

-

Like a spring broke free

he rushes forward,

the shadows screaming,

the upheaval of air a disgrace.

-

Caught in the demons arms,

he smiles greedily.

Tears stain starched sheets

and distort the perfect rows,

making them bleed together

in the most dangerous game.

-


	2. again

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GM: Most of these poems are going to be from Sasuke's pov. Soooooo…

uh, if one isn't, I'll specify that. Meh…

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Again (and again and again and)

-

-

Sojourn to the morning

he greets the melancholy fog

with a blankness

unrivaled by any.

-

His eyes still see, but

they reflect the fog

like mirrors made of obsidian.

-

The paleness of his figure is testament

to the many long hours

spent looking in mirrors, desperately

searching his own face for

any likeness to another.

-

Another, with

long dark lines and

red adrenaline eyes and

that oh, so serious

condescending smile.

-

He used to hate that smile.

-

Wanted to scream, wanted to take, wanted to

break that smile. Now,

he would give anything

just to see it again.

-

To be pinned and scrutinized, and feel

like such a

such a child.

-


	3. circus

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-

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GM: Itachi likes it! xD He just doesn't want his parents to find out e.e

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-

The circus passed through

on an inconspicuous morning.

They arrived as the sun was rising

with their tigers and ropes and

brightly colored costumes.

-

Sasuke remembers

running to the window,

the door, and standing on the

porch. His eyes were as

wide as saucers, reflecting

the last traces of starlight.

-

Itachi had stood behind him,

hands gripping tightly to

the back of Sasuke's shirt.

-

"Aniki, aniki!

There are tigers!"

-

"Yes."

-

"And a man with really long legs,"

-

"Oh?"

-

"And a lady with birds, and-"

-

It had rained the night before

their reflections stood

in puddles

and their blazing eyes

looked upward to

the lightening sky.

-

They brought with them

the smell of spices and

silk, paper flowers and

music like wind, like the orient,

like a thousand masked faces

in the ground.

-

Sasuke had wanted to join them.

-

"You would leave me

all alone?" that dangerous

smile. His mouth says I

love you, but his

but his eyes I  
could kill you, or

maybe I will

kill you.

-

It had frightened

Sasuke. When Itachi was

like that. Did not know what to do.

So that morning

he had done something

something else. Would

never leave, "Itachi,"  
-

_I would never leave you._

-

Had reached up

to the others face, tiny

hands touching the pale collarbone,

fitting perfectly upon

the dark neckline, and placed

a clumsy kiss

on slightly parted

lips. The other had

stared, then pushed him

away. "Sasuke,

never do that again."

-

The circus left that evening.

Sasuke watched the parade

as it passed through the

gates. The smell of them

lingered for many days.

-


	4. cold

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-

-

(**Such a lonely **day…)

-

-

Sasuke lays

on the pavement

and it's cold-cold-cold because

it's soaking wet.

-

The rain splatters against

his forehead

and he imagines that

he's being tortured

in some far off land.

-

"Get up, Sasuke.

Mother is worried sick,"  
Itachi says,

voice not thick

enough to permit

through the pouring rain.

But Sasuke knows what

he says, because it's

not the first time.

-

_Iam deadI am dead_

"Go away, Itachi,"  
-

"Sasuke,"  
-

"Why?" he screams

and his voice crashes against

all he buildings.

"You are the only

one who ever comes for me, why?"

-

Sasuke lays

on the pavement

and its cold-cold-cold because

it's soaking wet.

-

This time, Itachi

does not come. But now,

it's because Itachi

is dead.

-


	5. mums

-

-

-

(The boy, he never

grows)

-

-

The ricochet of

inarticulate space is

a vacuum between them

sucking in the blue and the gray

of a desolate landscape.

-

Water stands in puddles

surrounding them and

reflecting their somber expressions-

They could be anyone

(with sequential eyes and

cyanide) not (smiles and

the phosphorescent skin) so

_alive._

-

And oh, but they never-

-

And oh, they are so young-

-

The great white chrysanthemums

hang their head and (bite

their thumbs) seem to

be dead, they sing a slow

hymn, reminiscent of red

eyes, red, blind, eyes.

-

And, y'know, the

boy he never-

-


	6. burn

-

-

GM: Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews, they make me squeal with delight! xD

For this poem I wanted to portray a more obsessive Itachi (I can see him being like… major OCD) but it didn't quite work out… instead I think I ended up focusing more on Sasuke. Hnnn… anywho, the time frame I was thinking is just before Itachi "cracked" and things were normal in the family. So to speak.

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_(This is so corrupt- they are disgusting in all their ways- their intricate lies- their fabricated world filled with polite smiles and courtesies- Nothing is so perfect, perfect is a lie- _

_They teach us to kill passionately with heated breath- so we are killers with kindly pretext- we bow before we bare our tilted teeth and sour, rotted death.)_

-

-

They kissed infrequently

at every turn.

Itachi would kiss him

when he got home (and

mother was not around)

would pull him

into the hall and

(gray irises wide,

black pupils round)  
delicately kiss his face.

-

They kissed after dinner-

When Itachi readied the bath-

And he would murmur

_be good- be good-_

and all the kisses were chaste.

-

They kissed in the evening,

before going to bed,

and Sasuke would clutch onto

the other and meekly beg

_don't godont go._

-

They kissed in the mornings

when the sun brightly shone

in the tomato garden-

through the rice paper hallways-

_and- it won't- always- _

_be like this-_

Itachi said one day,

_We won't- always- be lovers, and_

_this perfect- world- will fade._

-

Sasuke clutched tightly

onto the other and said,

_I don't understandbut itsounds_

_so solonely. I never_

_want tobe alone._

-

_No one- does- _

Itachi said, _but we-_

_can't sleep- forever-_

And his eyes turned

and his lips burned

from the wet, sweet, taste.

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	7. brother, burden

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:DDD Yay!! Im so happy, cause normally I only write like… one poem a week n..n' But lately Ive been writing a lot!

Both of these poems are dedicated to SkywardShadow, thankyou so much for all of the lovely reviews! -insert death glomp- This first poem is basically a retelling of her story "The Big Brother" so I claim no originality! xD Aaaand the second one was inspired by her stories "Concern" and "Disregard" respectively. Thanks for inspiring me and then letting me write my half arsed sad attempts at poetry for them xD

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It was- _the day_-

Itachi ran circles in his head

Mother was giving birth

to a boy, or a girl?

He did not know.

But, he _hoped_ for

a boy.

-

Rain marred the pristine windows,

wilted the ripple flower reflections,

cast shadows in the doorway.

He paced. He trained. He sharpened

_kunai _he counted _senbon_.

-

He waited in the house, it

had been- surely- hours,

and the sun had gone down

(though, with the weather,

it was hard- to tell.)

He knew only because the

bell of the grandfather clock

struck _twelve_.

-

Twelve, _twelve-_

had something gone wrong?

He did not want it

to be a girl.

-

At last, they arrive

mother- so tired- haggard-

but happy. Father stern, relieved-

proud and. It is

a boy. _"Itachi-kun, this_

_is your otouto. His name is Sasuke-kun."_

-

And Itachi has never seen

such a beautiful child, with pale

skin and raven wing hair, wide, inquisitive

black eyes. _"Sasuke…_

_Sasuke, it's me. It's me, Sasuke,_

_your aniki. It's me."  
_-

The child smiles, laughs-

reaches out and grasps his brothers

hand (finger), as though

to say _I know, Itachi, I know._

-

-

-

-

Burden.

-

Where did you go?

Why did you leave me?

Why didn't you tell me something was wrong-

I would have understood-

even though I was young-

I would have loved you just the same.

-

I love you now, you know that, right?

I love you more than anyone, but I

suppose that my eyes are proof enough- of that-

I have to kill them.

And in the process, I will die.

-

I realize that's probably not what you want for me.

You struggled all of your life- just so that I could

live. Its funny, Im crying-

the tears just keep coming, I loved you so- so much,

you know that, right? You have to

know that. You _must._ Because now

that you have left me, what else

do I have?

-


	8. meth

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-

GM: Set post Shipuuden, in an AU where Sasuke-kun is back at Konoha, safe and sound. Sasuke does meth! :D And Kakashi finds him wondering around in the street D: So he follows ittle Sasuke-kun home, and (molests) takes care of him. In his delusional state, the crowy mistakes the scarecrowy for a weasely :D

Implied Kakasasu... buuuuut, it could just be viewed as a teacher taking care of his drugged out former student n n'

He is Sasuke

They/Them are the villagers of Konoha

Scarecrow is Kakashi

Itachi is dead.

-

-

As he walks

through the streets

They stare at him with wide,

glassy eyes, and

hungry, searching mouths like

parasites, he can almost see

their teeth, razor sharp,

glistening, ready to bite bite

bite.

-

He remains impassive,

features stark, blank, so they

cannot see his weakness, his

fear of _Them_. The steady beat- beat-

beat of his heart is a

mantra in his ears,

a tide, _r i s i n g_ higher and higher,

ready to engulf his body (such a

light, insignificant thing) in

waters heavy, cold, sharp, he

is suffocating, cant breath,

has to run run

run.

-

He meets a scarecrow on his way home.

It seems familiar to him,

but its brackish gray hair and

single, level eye fill him with self

loathing, guiltiness, desp-

runs runs

runs until it doesn't follow.

-

Collapses against

the entryway, stairs,

cold concrete that feels

like a great living reptile, reminds

him of the snakes he used to

sleep with.

-

Carry him inside

and set him down

on the ground

beside his couch, plain coffee table,

short haired carpet. He can see

each individual fiber and each is

a universe in and of itself, entrancing

him, pulling him down down

down.

-

At last he is nothing;

not real or fake, and he can _feel_

every part of the room, each object,

each manufactured curve, furniture,

the very air and.

Warm hands pick him up.

Set him down. Steady his head lolls

to the side, the room a tilted,

lilting carnival ride of colors.

And speaks in deep,

reverberating tones.

-

The voice is soft

and has the feel of a loved

one speaking to a child. It is

something he had missed,

longed for day in and day out,

year after year, night after night.

-

Red eyes peer at him, a niggling doubt-

a dreamlike concern stumbles through his mind

then disappears, that light put out.

And it is Itachi who is holding him,

caressing his hair, whispering whispering

whispering that _it's going to be alright._

-

Pulls in closer.

gathers the smell of vinyl, bleach,

pottpuri, something _distant_, something _foul_-

like the millions rotting corpses on beaches-

(conspiretoraly) _The Low Tide-_

that comes up again

to sweep them all away.

-

He's swaying in his body, back

and forth, back and forth,

and the warm arms keep him steady.

Such a carnival ride-

to make him giddy- unhappy, the tears

just keep flowing, even as he

laughs and laughs_ and_

_laughs._

-

_"Itachi,"_ he says, only

the words are slurred, their

meanings blurred already in his mind,

_"I wont, I wont-"_ his eyes burn, red-rimmed,

he chokes desperately, _"kill you, just_

_love you, only you, never, never,_

_never."_

-

The hands still in their comfort,

he does not notice though

because he's fallen asleep.

Brackish hair falls gently

over a single, level eye,

peers at him so steadily, that,

to justify itself, need

be the eye of a man who

maybe needs that love so much,

as to steal it from the dead.

-


	9. end

-

GM: I really want to write something epic, but cant u.u so instead I wrote this. There is nothing epic about it, but I like it. Sorry, maybe I'll write something really interesting eventually n.n

This isn't really set from any pov, its more of an omnipotent sort of thing.

-

-

The incandescent sky glimmers

with an undulating light

reminiscent of the lilting voice

which once sang lullabies

to a wide-eyed darkling child

as he gazed upon that sky.

-

The stars in multitudes

overlap and copulate

listening with laughter to

the voices as they reach the edge

of that vast unending lake.

-

With scars beneath his eyes and

eyes that burn and bloom

he exhales and disintegrates

beneath that billowing gloom,

inhales and stipulates

to the child of the moon;

-

"It is a mother to us all

and still there when you awake;

She hides behind the pall

of the burning sun at day.

She'll protect you when you fall

from what's good and full of grace."

-

And he had not- understood,

but would in years to come

(when he'd shed tears and skins and blood)  
what was so wrong about the sun,

what was ill about the day

and the deed that must be done.

-

When the other reaches for him now

with eyes caked white and blind

he searches familiar features

in a desperate try to find

any remnant of the person who

once sang him lullabies-

any trace of the being who

once held him when he cried.

-

The eyes are dead.

They crust with blood.

The lips move not, nor the hands.

The heart has stopped-

and so he stands

now before

the end.

-


	10. hide and seek

-

MG: Once again, Im recommending songs. The song that inspired this poem, the next one, and a poem called "you don't care" in my sasunaru series "That Good Night", is "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. Its an incredibly beautiful song, and Id suggesst listening to it while reading these.

Ive been listening to it for the past few days, and Ive kindof gone into a trance like state from it, thats where these came from. The idea and tone of the song fits so perfectly with the idealized suffering of Sasuke in general that… well, Im waxing poetic about it xD

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-

hide and seek

(trains and sewing machines)

-

-

he hid with childish

glee, his _niisan_ searching

patiently behind shrubs, chairs,

trees, and calling out speculatively,

"_now where could Sasuke be?"_

-

he ran down deserted

streets, tripping, faltering, upon

the discovery of mutilated

bodies, gasping, choking, calling out

desperately for someone, anyone,

wondering fearfully how the world

could let such a thing be.

-

he laughed with childish abandon

as the sunlight glinted off of

steel-carbon hair, blackest eyes and

the sky stretched on above them

forever, a million shades of blue.

-


	11. blood and tears

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MG: I like how this one turned out a lot, but it sounds better the second time you read it. I know these aren't BL or yaoi or anything, but I wrote a really graphic one a few days ago and posted it alone under the title "Unnatural," so if your feeling deprived you can go read that :B

OH BTW- I wrote a really short oneshot for the poem "cold" its basically a more elaborate retelling of the poem.

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blood and tears

(they were here first)

-

-

he knew always

(even at a

very young age) that

Itachiwas not

quite rite- not not not

so stable, the way

he wouldsmile which made Sasuke

feel unstable- would look back

over the years to see it.

-

the way he seemed

to hold every moment for ransom

and hold it and tremble the air

around him- the way

he wasnever happy.

that destructiveness

should have been

apparent.

-

somehow it

was always overlooked,

always explainedaway like

the brightly fireflies that

glittered during the night

but disappeared

in the day.

-


	12. smile

-

These next two poems don't really have anything to do with the pairing. Theyre more like individual explorations of each character. Don't worry, theyre building up to something thatll be amazing. I think.

An interesting side note, this poem is exactly one hundred lines long :x

-

-

smile (please)

-

Growing up, eager children

seeking approval from

all the wrong people-

their dying screams rise

in a familiar crescendo-

the noise unrestrainable,

it leaps forward

like the waves

of a storm.

-

He'd tumbled onto that shore

from the warmth of his

brother embrace and fallen

on his face. The waves

just reached him where

he lay, but he'd never

admit to being

afraid. Even if

it takes it

takes it

takes.

-

And he'd been so afraid.

In the time it took for him

to realize that he was alone

he'd walked up and down

that longlong shore,

knew its inlets and outlets, when

the water would rise or

fall (knew it all knew it

all) of course he did.

-

"And when the stars

threw down their spears-"

he can no longer remember

if Itachi ever smiled.

-

Four is a nasty number-

Three, he would think,

Is much better.

Sa-su-ke and

Sa-ku-ra and

Na-ru-to and

They had been _three. _That's why,

when he was given the sound four,

he'd been quite so displeased.

Of course.

-

"_Sasuke," _Orochimaru would say,

"_You are never happy. No matter what _

_I do, nothing pleases you."_

And he would scowl, and think

_That's because you a snake, _but

then he would say _"To please me_

_is not your place, Orochimaru."_

_-_

The mans name rolled off his tongue

so easily. Sometimes it seemed

to be falling away from him.

So he would say it again

as though catching it,

_Orochimaru, Orochimaru,_

_Orochimaru._

-

The Uchiha compound

where he lived

glistened brightly in the summer-

the wood of the buildings

always seemed to glimmer

in sunlight, soaking up the rays

like orange scented oil.

It was a deceptive light-

it made the place look lived-in.

-

Sasuke sometimes

would pretend (while looking at

the bright wood of a vegetable stand)

that the place really _was_

lived-in.

-

The blonde haired kid

with his widewide grin had said once

that the compound looked

like a fancy resort, and

who wouldn't want to live

in a place like that?

-

The pink haired girl (and

yes, he _had_ to think of them

like that, or else he) had once said

it looked like a place

where ghosts would live.

-

He wonders, sometimes, when

it's very late at night, (be-

cause he just can't sleep)

if he really should burn incense

and leave rice cakes for the dead-

because he doesn't.

-

And then

he turns over and wraps

his arm around himself, almost feels

comfortable, except for the smell

of oiled wood, he thinks he might

be allergic to it. He isn't,

but he likes to think that he is.

-

Just the same as

how he remembers the feel

of Itachi arms around him-

remembers the safety, the feeling of protection,

but wishes that he couldn't.

-


	13. leaves

-

MG: Im not sure what to think of this one. Oddly enough, it was inspired when I read a few pages of Walt Whitman's _Leaves of Grass_. Even though Itachi turned out to be a "good guy," I still think he was batshit insane. Told from Itachi's POV.

-

-

-

I am something that never truly fades

I linger in the shadows of

doorways, and

in the well of an old house.

When tomatoes swell and rot

I am their rancid flesh, and the

disappointed air that once held great expectations.

-

My ideals are in the soil

and the slight curve of the steal-

carbon blade,

I leave nothing behind and take

nothing with me. Everything

I am can be summed, the

feeble morality of human pride- if I

was once coveted, it was because I wore

a _keaton_ mask, hiding my face.

-

The careful mother I left behind

who held onto my heart with pale hands,

who bandaged scrapes and bruises,

was a part of me, as I was a part of her.

She is now no more dead than I, and

her hair deteriorates in the ground.

-

The ones who questioned me, who suspected

the thinness of the surface we lived upon, I

showed irritation and begrudgement. The truth is,

I loved them, as I loved all the

Uchiha, with lethargy, as I love all things.

-

The structure of my hand

is not so different from the structure

of a leaf, and so I think people are like trees,

and their desires are like sparks.

The Uchiha desired so much, so greatly, that

I, the pinnacle of their achievement, caught

fire and burned in a ragged blaze.

When I awoke, the charred remains

were filled with ghosts, and the smoke

smelled of sour, scorched flesh.

-

I carry with me them in my heart

and wait with patience for

my own death. A child trails behind,

on the path which I have forged,

and he carries with him their dripping heads.

-


	14. zeroes

-

-

MG: Omnipotent pov, mostly. 'Bout Itachi.

-

-

He walked precariously over every

floorboard and lovers precariously ever

turn seaward- he sang whispered softly as his

footsteps plunged forward and dust

circled in eddied about.

-

You assassins you killers you in the night takers,

quiver, shiver, and break

your own fingers- your hair is the thread and your

teeth are the needles, create

your own face with the

materials we give you-

all dreams fall away-

sleep becomes scarce-

for desperation-

precedes des_pair_.

-

Stars and Rain

the Sun and the Moon

breed ragged grins as

he enters the swoon- blood kissed hands

know what they are doing as they drown

drown drown.

-

Here is a village that

need its own hero,

its own brand of peace that can

withstand absolute zero-

But it does not know

that _he_ is a fire, he burns and churns

and his heart is a pyre, a funeral right

covered in cinders, consuming its own

brothers and sisters, eating alive its

mothers and fathers, and it is not

tears that he cries, but lau-

ghter, and laughter and

laughter

-


	15. tetris

-

-

-

He can remember

days spent waiting, eager,

for the sound of the door

sliding open. For that soft voice,

declaring, "I'm home," and

the knowing of that careful presence,

soft, unobtrusive. Itachi

used to bring him tomatoes

after every mission, like an apology

for the time they missed together.

And Sasuke would take them, greedy,

the juicy, red manifestations

of his brothers (guilt) love.

They always tasted sweet.

-


	16. dress for success

GM: OKAY SO. This is important. Several years back I came across a collection of drabbles on LJ that were _amazing_. Most of them had to do with team seven, Naruto and Sasuke in particular. There was one that I really remember, it was about how Mikoto one day decided to dress up (two, three year old) Sasuke in a yellow dress. They're in the kitchen and Sasuke is happy as pie, sitting on the floor, twirling around, giggling, ECT. Fugaku walks in and WTF's. Then Itachi walks in, deadpans at his pissed off dad, dead pans at Mikoto, then deadpans at Sasuke and says "Yellow isn't his color." xD The end. Buuuuuut I don't remember who wrote them, or even what community they were in. If anybody knows, please, please share with me!!! T..T

I also want to give a shoutout to SkywardShadow (love you O3O) and CeruleanCypher, who gives some of the best reviews in the world!~

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-

dress for success

-

-

-

(and white just washes him out)

-

-

he always used to swing his arms

and sunlight like water

ripple reflections

would cascade from the movements,

he'd grin and laugh at the

bright sensation.

-

when he was seven his mother

showed him a picture

of when he was two

wearing a yellow dress

he remembers Itachi had said

_blue is more his color_

but he doesn't really remember it

just a false memory, cause

he doesn't remember being two.

his mother had just told him

that story

too many times.

-

when he got older

(even through the hate)  
he wondered about Itachi.

the boy (wait, no) the man

(wait, no) his brother (even though

he _hates_ to think that way)

wasn't isn't like normal people.

(no, wasn't, cause Itachi's dead).

-

it's not like Itachi was gay

(he didn't love anyone ever,

except for maybe) but sasuke doesn't want

to think about that, cause

it's actually really depressing.

and it's not like Itachi was really wise

or anything, sasuke's pretty sure that

his brother was just plain crazy.

and it's not like Itachi was crazy, cause

in _konoha_ there really isn't a standard for _sane._

-

sasuke has all these old, silly memories.

they're silly, but he still cries

when he thinks of them

for some reason

and it makes him angry and frustrated

and inadequate.

when he tries to swing his arms

they are just dead weights, and he

really really can't even smile, even when

he finds that old photo again.

because the yellow dress has faded to white.

-

-

-


	17. transcendence

GM: Poem backlog! xD Ive got a few to post, so yes~ Oh, and I found the link to that ficlet I requested in my last update O..o Ive been looking for it for _years_ and literally the day after requesting it from you guys, I stumble upon it myself xD (although Im afraid I got a few of the details wrong about the original story).

sadieko . livejournal . com /265332 . html #cutid1

remove the spaces, of course, and read the comments under the story xD

Oh, and this poem is Itachi's pov, btw.

-

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may;

Old Time is still a flying.

And this same flower that smiles to-day,

To-morrow will be dying.

-

-

-

He couldn't hardly see.

The texture of the air

swarmed and buzzed

in his ears,

incessant, incessant,

it hardly left him alone anymore.

-

His life seemed pale and transient

even to him, when

all he'd ever lived for

had previously seemed

so important. It made him

wonder, wonder, but then

the noise would become

too much, and all thought

abolished instead with the pain.

-

He washed his filthy hands

every day.

-

The scrapped child

who followed behind

with lost eyes and lost eyes

he loved and loved and loved

and couldn't tell- Oh, but

they were all lies, all just lies

because and because and because-

-

-of love. And he did love, oh

he did, but they were _shinobi_

and _shinobi _men did not love

_shinobi_ women, let alone _shinobi_ boys,

and _Uchiha_ did not love their siblings, because

_Uchiha_ loved_ no one._

-

He cried when he had to kill them.

It was hilarious- except for,

he was crying.

All his life he tried

to abolish such feelings, and,

in the end, he didn't feel a whole lot,

even when he cut their throats.

-

He was crying because

the little one who followed behind

would not understand.

It seemed to him, it seemed

as though that was a far worse injustice

than anything else

about their clan.

-

-

-


	18. camellia: lust

-

-

-

_i. tsu_

-

the flowers were pretty

and he picked them in handfuls

to give to his mother.

she smiled and laughed and asked

where he had found them.

-

there was disapproval in her tone

and he knew that she knew that

he'd stolen them

from the neighbor's yard-

but they were flowers,

and he thought that, like people,

they didn't _belong_

to anyone.

-

-

-

_ii. ba_

-

it would be years

before he would scowl at

the overgrown and untamed gardens

of the _Uchiha_ compound

and wonder what their clan

(the most strictly devout

in the village) had

ever wanted with _flowers._

-

-

-

_iii. ki_

-

he devoured his brother's heart

and left a single,

wild camellia

in the gaping wound.

-

-

-


	19. go on forever

GM: While writing this I had in mind- how Sasuke didn't actually _kill_ any of the people in Orochimaru's little base thing before he "defected" for the second time. It's like, even though he's a missing nin twice over and powerful as all hell, he doesn't want to take life unless it's absolutely necessary. Of course, that goes back to him not being a genuinely bad person; he's only doing these things cause he feels that he has to. It makes me wonder what he would have been like if he'd never become a ninja in the first place :X

-

-

-

The smell of burning flesh

repulses him, bile rising

coarse with blood in his throat,

holds it in, and gazes dispassionately

down at the smoldering corpses

littering his pathway, dead in an instant.

-

The wave of heat that engulfed them

tasted sweat like rice wine

and burned too, that fiery kiss

upon his lips as alive and desperate

as ever, some untamable beast

hungering inside of him,

like a disease.

-

Words break and mend within him,

darkening his vision

and tinting everything red;

He holds them in, afraid of letting them go;

He knows that they are all apologies

for lost loves and loves to be,

for old friendships and broken promises-

They constrict his throat, cutting off the roar

of flames and sparks,

press with too much force against

his eyes and teeth, making him _feel_

connected to the ashes and bones and

faceless forms at his feet.

-

He's been through so much worse-

can see his own terror in their brief, uneventful

deaths, but still can't stop the swell of

guilt-regret-hate-sorrow-horror-and he

never really wanted to kill anyone.

-

The truth of the matter is

before they are engulfed by his fire technique,

in their eyes he can see

his own perfect reflection, with

long, regal black hair and red, shimmering eyes

that take everything and make it

into something distorted with half truths

and truly lost loves and wistful, longing smiles.

-

He doesn't bury them. Orochimaru's

tracker nin will find them and dispose of

them properly, once all of their secrets

have been recorded in some little black notebook.

Their greatest secret though, the one

that not even Kabuto (with his clever,

clever hands and deceitful,

deceitful lies) will ever know, is that

the last thing they saw- the last thing they saw

was the misplaced smile of someone

much older, much wiser, much more

filled with sorrow than _Sasuke._

-


	20. music

GM: This is my happy face oAo

Just kidding, but I am happy. I think. Okay, maybe Im a bit sad, but only because it's snowing so much (And Im scheduled to get my wisdom teeth removed right before prom) u.u

Oh, and I totally missed it, but January 9th was the one year anniversary of… this. So late happy anniversary? Yay?

Okay, and um, I feel really repetitive with this post. I mean, I think its unique enough to stand on its own, but I used some of the same imagery in this as in the poem "circus" and it has the same overall feel, I think. SO I want to ask you guys something =o= Prompt me? Or better yet, suggest a scenario! Anything would be appreciated! I counted them all and including a handful of the poems I have yet to post, Ive done fifty-two Naruto poems. That is a lot by my own personal standards. That's why Im not that ashamed to ask for prompts at this point xD

-

-

-

The rain-nin brought with them

the music of their country.

They came with the morning fog

in their somber masks and ceremonial dress.

The _Anbu_ greeted them, just

as careful, just as delicate,

and the villagers

watched from behind pulled curtains.

-

Their footfalls in puddles

rang through the cool air

and the wisps of their dark, foreign hair

glided like violin strings in the twilight.

-

Itachi was among

the _Anbu _assigned to escort them

to the Hokage's tower, and his

slight form mimicked their own

slender grace with such ease

that they cast sidelong glances

at the twelve-thirteen year old boy

in their own private appreciation.

-

He wore the traditional

Konohagakure _shinobi _mask, and yet

upon his face it somehow seemed

more carnal, more atrocious

than any true beast

that its ivory and blood paint

might mean to imitate.

-

The child broke

from his mothers grip

and ran with cymbal crashes to

be caught in his brothers arms.

The rain-nin gasped and raised

their fluttering hands

in anticipation of a fight. When they realized

it was only a child with quavering,

fearful eyes and blameless, pouting lips,

they continued their soundless journey

to the center of the village.

-

The _Anbu _went on without him,

and Itachi watched them

leave, their feet so frail with

hollow bones and soft flesh and thin,

thin liquid blood. His brothers weak cry of

_Niisan_, brought him from his momentary stupor,

back to their gray, dim world around him.

-

"_Otouto,_

_I must go now._

_They are waiting_

_for me."  
_-

The words scarce left his lips

before their ugly, obtrusive sound

further mutilated

the perfect silence of the morning.

But the child did not seem to notice, indeed

he verily worshipped their every nuance,

and for not the first time

Itachi wondered at the severe devotion

his younger brother bestowed

to no one but him.

-

-

-


	21. reduce

[_Time is like water falling onto parched throats_

_you choke and then_

_it flies away_]

-

-

-

-

Reduce

-

Mikoto always knew

that her sons would have

difficult lives.

-

But when she saw

the whiskered boy

with tear streaked cheeks

and filthy hands

wandering through the streets

one night, she selfishly knew

that they would be alright.

-

When she went to pick Sasuke

up from the academy

and was early,

she watched him taking turns

with the other children.

She saw the pink haired girl

who couldn't hit the target,

with her frail little arms

and unattractive face.

-

Even when they were still

so young, it wasn't hard to tell

which were the ones

who would die first. And,

selfishly, she knew that

her sons would be alright.

-

-

-


	22. hands

-

Hands

-

-

-

Her hands were delicate

and pale

even though she insisted

upon working

in the tomato fields.

-

She used to bandage

his hands

when they became scraped

and somehow

hew own were always soft.

-

When she wasn't there

[too busy

with clan records, or

important appearances

with his father,]

Itachi was the one

with careful hands [though

his fingers and thumbs

were calloused beyond repair]

to bandage them up

and kiss them better.

-

-


	23. born

MG: Don't take this the wrong way… XP

-

[born]

-

-

-

The summer grew heated blooms

throughout the Uchiha compound-

Red camellias like the tongues of wild dogs

sprang up from the grass

and wrapped around each massive house,

tendrils reaching for the delicate rice paper doors.

-

The summer that Sasuke was born

a demon raged through the village

and the camellias withered

beneath the heated pressure

of such a violent force.

-

Itachi took it as a good sign

that his brother could scream louder at night

than the demon could below its curse.

-

-


	24. do you love the enemy

GM: I believe this is what we call an "unreliable narrator" XD Yeah so this is about denial, cause Im sure Sasuke must have went through quite a bit of it, at least internally. I mean, he's like, the king of denial (I can see him with a crown and fluttery cape with denial stitched into it in big bold letters XD)

A huge thanks to all the people that have been reading and reviewing, ILU!!! This poem in particular is dedicated to SkywardShadow for being COMPLETELY FREEKING AMAZING and leaving me so many delicious reviews like little cupcakes on the ground for me to follow, but oh I wonder where they go to I hope not an oven I don't want to die Dx or get fat! I'll share some with my rat Iwo-chan she likes sweets dammit.

Uh…

What else did I want to say… hmmm… oh yeah, Shadow, you can basically consider all of my poems being dedicated to you, cause I mean you really are the only thing I look forward to in life xD DON'T PITY ME oVo

There is like, so much more that I want to say, but I cant remember it now. A word of advice: never post your poetry in the poetry forum at Gaiaonline. The regs there will rape you. Then cast you out, naked and cold into the street, still bleeding and disoriented. Yeah…

-

-

[I can be anything I see

I can do anything that I want to

I can't be anything that I see

I can't do anything I want to]

-

-

-

He was not there;

the streets

seemed empty and someti-

mes what we think we wa-

nt we really don't.

-

-

-

The darkening skies

saw through the thin

veneer of the wooden structures;

through the glass and metal;

through smiles and assurances;

through the broken endings

and promises of happily-

ever-after.

-

The clouds turned gray

and yellow like the plague

and he imagined that

it was an invisible disease which had

killed his family, and he,

the sole survivor,

had to pick flowers for their graves.

-

He woke in a fevered daze

and ran through the streets, ran

through the empty houses

with his shoes still on, ran

through the hollow skeleton gates

to away and away and

no matter how hard he tried-

No-Matter-How-Hard

He-Fucking-Tried

-

The flowers, right?

He was picking flowers for them

and he didn't even know which ones

were nice, which ones you put on graves,

so he just grabbed

the first ones he could find

and ran back to where they were buried.

-

He realized [too late]

that they

were crushed in his hands,

the flowers had become

a sticky mess

and smelled sour like-

-

Couldn't help it.

Even though Itachi had-

Sasuke still-

'Cause you know when you're

really all alone and

the only person who you ever _did_

love is still

out there like an elusive dream

made out of origami and glue and

crayon scribblings

but you still know-

You-Still-Fucking-Know

that-that-that-

that maybe-

-


	25. voodoo

GM: Soooo… I hope this one isn't… difficult. I like to think that Sasuke's hate of his brother is just a different type of love. A symptom of love, if you will.

-

Voodoo

-

-

-

(He sewed it from scraps of

his own skin and clothed it in

black, red, white.

A lock of Itachi's hair

from their mother's jewelry box,

and red buttons for its eyes.)

-

**When he was six**

**(and they made houses out of**

**mud and sticks) and**

**the porch was the widest wasteland**

**that his mind could imagine-**

-

(Stuck it full of pins

and pinched its tiny voodoo limbs)

-

**-when he was six**

**and the word wasteland**

**only meant a place to play in-**

-

(Dropped it to the ground,

horror in his sudden stance)

-

**-when he was six**

**and found everyone beautiful,**

"_**And I shall marry my **_

_**mother and father, with the rings**_

_**up on the shelf-"**_

-

(And the horror was justified,

because the puppet

he was poking holes in,

was really just himself.)

-

**-when he was six**

**(and they made houses out of**

**mud and sticks.)**

-

-


	26. nostalgia

GM: This time it was a picture that inspired me to write ( http:// egg-revolution . deviantart . com/art/nostalgia-89245196 ) but a song that inspired me to actually write n. n it was one of those 'Oh hay~ this are pretty picshur, I shuld make pretty picshurs with wordses' but then I couldn't think of anything, so I turned on some music and this song played randomly and it was like 'Yessssssss' btw, song is "So Long Goodbye" by Sum 41. It comes highly recommended.

-

-

nostalgia

-

-

-

when he counted the days

already he could hear

the thrumming beat

of his brothers heart.

-

he knew, even on that night

when the whole world had swallowed

its own words and broken

like waves on a nameless shore,

he'd known it was a lie.

-

His brother's eyes had held something

just so elementally empty,

so longing to believe in some other eternity,

another world of how things should be.

-

So he knew.

He knew on that night, he knew

on the night that followed, and

he knew a thousand nights from then.

-

And, when he was plunging _Kusanagi_

through stone and steel and breathing flesh,

he knew. When those hands, fluttering and weak

and emanating a power so ultimate that

it sent electric shocks down his back-

he knew.

-

adrenaline, blood, love.

familiar sensations, and he was losing his mind.

-

-


	27. winter

MG: of Sasuke, Itachi, and Mikoto. Once again, thanks go out to all of my reviewers, both new and old, you guys are what keep me going [albeit slowly]. I have a job now, and college full time, soooo yus. = w=;

-

-

-

over thistle and down

hedge covered snow

stars like meteors bright gaze

burn his eyes out.

-

and torn hems are sewed

by delicate hands

the sons sit fascinated

beads line fish in the water

like dew on the dock;

-

suspended; frozen.

-

Itachi sews then

when the pinprick opens flesh

and red juxtaposition on white

makes her retreat.

-

sasuke; the cloth,

alternations have to be made.

-

-


	28. ptsd

MG: heheh, so. I has swine flu 8D

-

[PTSD; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A prolonged and severe reaction to psychological trauma. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, anger, hypervigilance, social isolation, lack of trust, and an inability to connect with others. Trauma sources include, but are not limited to, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, torture, and violations of boundaries, such as intimate betrayal.]

-

-

Sasuke imagines when

Madara's fingers gripped Itachi's

throat, like scissors with rusted edges

like blood dried onto steel and feels

an unfamiliar rage, a hate

built on layers and layers and things he

doesn't like to think

about and remembers his _dear brother's_

last moment; eyes like birds, dying,

dying, mouth curved neck like

a porcelain lady, so helpless,

so pretty.

-

Blood and bile and a painful dryness

rise in the back of his throat,

his own fingers caressing the spot gently,

remembering, forgetting, stumbling,

then remembering again.

-

When he sleeps he sees in flashes

intermittently Itachi's face, his hands,

his slender neck, then those eyes, the man

Madara telling him things

he doesn't want to hear. Then his friends,

then Kakashi, the village, his old _home,_

like it used to be.

-

And he sees Itachi

when they were just brothers, and

and each others only friend, when they

held hands and sat together and swam

across the lake. As he stirs, he does

everything he can

to forget and remember what's past.

-

-


	29. buoy line

GM: Young!Sasuke. I don't have the link anymore, but it was inspire by a picture I found of the beach, in black and white, and there are all these little kids running around, and the tide makes a really thick band of white foam, but they aren't in the water. Anyone who's been to the ocean (most parts of it anyways) know that the undertow will get you! B( raawr. Yrsh, and I listen to the end of Tartini's Sonata in G Minor (better known as the Devil's Trill). It's really ghastly horrifying music, uncomfortable to listen to, but once you start you just cant stop! D8 It's takes a hold of you and sinks its teeth in LIKE A DEMON OUT FOR BRAINS!!!!! So heres a link for it on youtube http:// www . youtube . com/ watch?v=YonqEbar8cM&NR=1

-

O wO

-

mother takes them to the beach

he feels the sand beneath his feet

Itachi in the crashing waves and

follows Sasuke as he plays

at building castles from the ground

then kicking smashing knocking down.

-

Up along past endless tracks

gulls circle always calling back

more children play and chase and swim,

never passing white strip trim

foam rising falling in a line

they know they'll drown,

given time.

-

-

Don't go

past the buoy line

(mother says gently)

the undertow

will get you.

-

-

Holding your hand tightly

Itachi

smiles gently

(monsters hide)

in the water,

he says.

-

-

-


	30. no surprises

MG: in which Sasuke dies after defeating Itachi, and Itachi waits.

-

[this is my final fit

my finale bellyache]

-

-

footsteps echoed through air

weaving in between blades of grass

curling to rest

on his cheek

-

wet spots around his eyes

he realized

he had been crying

for some time.

-

how long had he laid there?

how many people had moved on?

died? forgotten? someone

surely someone was alive

and breathing

and waiting

and knowing.

-

was he alive?

was he awake?

had he been dreaming?

-

blue and green

and gray and black

and he couldn't make sense

of the blades of grass

eye level

feet stopping before him.

-

a pale hand

red eyes to meet him

and embrace in arms

like china dolls'

mouth whispering words

of comfort

and he was

-

home.

-

-

-


	31. gray

"i want the world to burn," he told the child and said,

"one day we will all be dead anyways."

-

why not now,

why not end the world's suffering

our lives are fickle and meaningless

-

the child lifted his head, black hair and black eyes

and white lips, open, curious-

-

"but

i love

you."

-

-

-


End file.
